Chris Johnson, group leader at Argonne National Laboratory and ECS Battery Division vice-chair, we would like to let you know about The 2^nd International Conference on Sodium Batteries, which will take place at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Hotel in Chandler, AZ the week before (Oct. 7 – 9) the ECS meeting this October.

This from Dr. Johnson:

The location and timing for this specialized sodium-only conference was set up to dovetail with the ECS meeting and promote one travel event (particularly for overseas travelers). The conference was established to function as a technical and collaborative forum to bring together technical, policy, and government experts in battery science and engineering, particularly those who specialize in sodium batteries as a next-generation energy storage technology for “Beyond Li-ion” battery chemistries.

The conference’s goal is to communicate a current understanding and benchmark state-of-art science in the field. Research and progress in sodium batteries technology will be discussed by this international community. We expect 100 attendees, who both specialize in pushing this technology forward, but also who want to learn more about emergent technology. Approximately 20 internationally recognized invited speakers will give 30-minute presentations. A poster session will also be held.

The cost to attend is $300 and includes two receptions, and two sit-down/served luncheons. To learn more or register for the conference, please visit the conference homepage.

And don’t forget to check out the ECS Battery Division’s sodium-battery-specific talks scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Phoenix!

ECS Short Courses are all day instruction designed to provide students or the seasoned professional an in-depth education on a wide range of topics.

Register online today!

Five Short Courses will be offered on Sunday, October 11, 2015.

These small classes, taught by industry leaders, are an excellent opportunity to receive personalized instruction, helping both novices and experts advance their technical expertise and knowledge.

Short Course #1
Basic Impedance Spectroscopy
Mark Orazem, Instructor
This course is intended for chemists, physicists, materials scientists, and engineers with an interest in applying electrochemical impedance techniques to study a broad variety of electrochemical processes.

Short Course #2
Fundamentals of Electrochemistry: Basic Theory and Kinetic Methods
Jamie Noël, Instructor
This course covers the basic theory and application of electrochemical science. It is targeted toward people with a physical sciences or engineering background who have not been trained as electrochemists, but who want to add electrochemical methods to their repertoire of research approaches.

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Here at ECS, we aim to stay on top of all the latest scientific discoveries and innovations around that world. That’s why we created the ECS Redcat Blog.

Our blog aims to provide the latest scientific news for the benefit of all interested. However, we can’t cover every event in the scientific community. Check out some of our other favorite science blogs below:

The Last Word On Nothing
Named after Victor Hugo’s quote, “Science says the first word on everything, and the last word on nothing,” this blog gathers together a vast array of science journalists to publish essays, informational articles, and more.

PLOS
PLOS, or the Public Library of Science, hosts a blog to keep you informed on the latest innovations and developments in science. Whether you’re trying to find out what’s on your dog’s mind or how climate change will shape the future, PLOS has the answers.

Live Science
One look at Live Science’s homepage and you get a glimpse into the biggest advancements in science today. Find the latest research coming out of academic institutes as well as the newest innovations in industry.

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Lili Deligianni is a Research Scientist and Principal Investigator at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center. Her innovative work in chemical engineering has led to cutting-edge developments in chip technology and thin film solar cells. Lili has been with ECS for many years and currently serves as the Society’s Secretary.

Listen to the podcast and download this episode and others for free through the iTunes Store, SoundCloud, or our RSS Feed. You can also find us on Stitcher.

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ECS’s job board keeps you up-to-date with the latest career opportunities in electrochemical and solid state science. Check out the latest openings that have been added to the board.

P.S. Employers can post open positions for free!

Electroanalytical Sales Scientist
Pine Research Instrumentation – Durham, NC
The position encompasses critical aspects of sales and support for the electrochemical instrumentation product line offered by Pine Research Instrumentation. This position couples deep understanding of electrochemical science with the ability to communicate and interact with other people. Successful individuals in this position enjoy the unique chance to blend interpersonal skills (for sales and marketing purposes) with scientific knowledge (for technical support and advice).

PhD Student in Electrochemical Conversion of Biomass
Ohio University – Athens, OH
The Center for Electrochemical Engineering Research (CEER) at Ohio University is searching for PhD students to join a team of researchers working on electrochemical conversion of biomass. The successful candidate will develop materials and processes for electrochemical conversion of biomass to fuels and industrial chemicals, including developing electrocatalysts and reactor systems. Product stream analysis is an integral component of this program.

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ECS is excited to announce the launch of a new pilot program for ECS student members at the 228th ECS Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, October 11-15, 2015.

As a student aide you will work closely with the ECS staff and gain first-hand experience in what it takes to execute an ECS biannual meeting. Take advantage of the opportunity to network and engage with meeting attendees, symposium organizers and ECS staff while learning how registration operates, technical sessions run and how major meeting programs are facilitated.

Interested in participating within this program? Click here to fill out your application today!

Please note, the deadline to apply is September 2nd, the selected candidates will notified by September 4th.

Benefits include a unique behind the scenes experience, networking opportunities, discounted Phoenix meeting registration, an ECS shirt and a certificate of participation! For more information or questions regarding the application process please contact beth.fisher@electrochem.org.

We look forward to seeing you in Phoenix!

Yue Kuo’s work in solid state science has yielded many innovations and has made a tremendous mark on the scientific community. Since his arrival at ECS in 1995, Kuo was named an ECS Fellow, was recently named Vice President of the Society, previously served as an associate editor of the Journal of The Electrochemical Society, and is currently one of the technical editors of the ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology. Additionally, Kuo received the ECS Gordon E. Moore Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Solid State Science and Technology at the 227th ECS Meeting.

Listen to the podcast and download this episode and others for free through the iTunes Store, SoundCloud, or our RSS Feed. You can also find us on Stitcher.

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An article by Theodore R. Beck in the Summer 2014 issue of Interface.

A simultaneous invention of an important industrial electrochemical process by two men on two different continents appears improbable. Yet that is what happened. One was in the United States and the other in France. Each inventor was born in the same year, 1863, and at age 22 each independently developed the same technology to produce aluminum by electrolysis. They were rather different personalities.

Charles Martin Hall was born into an educated family and attended Oberlin College. He was a studious scientist who deliberately, step by step, arrived at his process. The father of Paul Louis Toussaint Héroult was a tanner and Paul Héroult was expected to continue in that business. Instead, he attended a school of mines where he was dismissed after the first year because he spent his time thinking about how to produce aluminum rather than his studies. He was more of an intuitive thinker, and on inspiration, first electrolyzed alumina in molten cryolite in his father’s tannery.

The technology of these two inventors is now known as the Hall-Héroult Process. Hall and Héroult were among the earliest members of ECS, then named “The American Electrochemical Society.”

Charles Martin Hall was born on December 6, 1863 in Thompson, Ohio. His parents were Herman Bassett Hall and Sophronia H. Brooks. His father graduated from Oberlin College in 1847 and studied for three years at the Oberlin Theological Seminary. After ten years doing missionary work the family returned to Ohio in 1860 and to Oberlin in 1873.

Read the rest.

This is the latest Websites of Note, a regular feature in the ECS magazine Interface researched by Zoltan Nagy, a semi-retired electrochemist.

Fuel Cells — Green Power
Although fuel cells have been around since 1839, it took 120 years until NASA demonstrated some of their potential applications in providing power during space flight. As a result of these successes, in the 1960s, industry began to recognize the commercial potential of fuel cells, but encountered technical barriers and high investment costs — fuel cells were not economically competitive with existing energy technologies. Since 1984, the Office of Transportation Technologies at the U.S. Department of Energy has been supporting research and development of fuel cell technology, and as a result, hundreds of companies around the world are now working towards making fuel cell technology pay off. Just as in the commercialization of the electric light bulb nearly one hundred years ago, today’s companies are being driven by technical, economic, and social forces such as high performance characteristics, reliability, durability, low cost, and environmental benefits.

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Logan Streu, ECS Content Associate & Assistant to the CCO, recently came across a video that takes a close (albeit funny) look at the misleading or misused words frequently used in scientific research.

Is “scientific proof” an oxymoron? Is there really a gene for everything? Check out the video below to see some of the phrases that are often misused.

Want more science videos? Check out our YouTube channel!